Truck Tonnage Falls 5.2%

U.S. truck tonnage fell 5.2% in October from the same month last year, the best year-to-year showing since November 2008,American Trucking Associations said Monday.

ATA’s seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index fell 0.2% in October from September after a 0.3% decrease from August to September. September's index was down 7.3% from a year before.

The index fell to a reading of 103.6, with the year 2000 as the base year at 100. The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, was 109.6 in October, up 1.6% from September.

This month's reading shows that the economic recovery is "still trying to gain balance," but on more solid ground than a year ago, said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello.

“Repeating what I said last month, the trucking industry should not be alarmed by the small decreases in September and October,” Costello said in a statement.

“The economy is behaving as expected, with starts and stops,” he said, adding that while the industry should be prepared for "ups and downs" in the coming months, the general trend will be moderate improvement.

ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.